Although women form slightly over half of the entire Northern
Ireland civil service (NICS), according to the October 2009 report of
the NICS's Equal Opportunities Unit, their numbers diminish sharply at
the senior levels where they make up less than a third of the workforce.
According to the report, a study into the gender disparities is currently
underway an was expected to be completed by April 2010. Currently women
hold just 24 per cent of Grade 5+ positions, and a number of departments
had no women at this level. Table 2 gives a breakdown
of each department, ranging from the Department of Agriculture and Rural
Development, where men account for almost two-thirds of the workforce
to the Department of Employment and Learning which has almost 67% women.
Positively, since 2001 the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure has
gone from being two-thirds male to now being made up of an equal number
of men and women. The NICS recruitment service's latest report for 2008-2009
notes that 46% of all applicants were women, down from 58% in 2001-2002.
Of appointments made, 45% were women, which is up from 32% in 2001.

Table 1: Gender breakdown of NICS by grade, March 2010

Grade

Women

Men

%
women

Grade 6/7

30

60

36.8

Senior &
Higher Executive Officers

210

380

36

Executive Officers

480

480

50

Administrative
Officers & Assistants

1490

1430

51

Total

2210.

2350.

48

Table 2: Gender breakdown of NICS
by grade, March 2010
(Refers to general staff in NICS)